Watching that BSG episode, I found myself getting really pissed when they mentioned that they'd been going at the interrogation for eight hours, and yet they were only getting around to sticking his head in a bucket of water. Obviously, he was hit in the face prior to that (I think we saw just one punch, but there seemed to be evidence of multiple impacts on his face in later scenes), but inasmuch as this was a military interrogation in the face of possible destruction of the entire human race...it seemed tame and timid to me. That made me reassess Starbuck and draw a different conclusion about her character than maybe you did. They've been poking holes in her hard shell for the last few episodes it seems, and pointing out her bad judgment in multiple instances. She might be the best they have for these various situations...but she' really not particularly good at all of them.
However, I was also pleased (if that's the way to put it) that they did go ahead and torture a human face if not technically a human. That did highlight rather well both Starbuck's personal discomfort and the problems they all face in drawing lines between themselves and a "machine" that bleeds red and cries out in pain.
(And an aside: I was impressed by Madam President for the first time when she booted Callum Keith Rennie out the airlock. Maybe someday I'll stop seeing the actress as just Stands With A Fist in a skirt suit...)
I don't think we're going to be further desensitized, either. That did seem to be the general fear in the discussion I'd read, but I don't think that is likely. Or, rather, there's a difference between being desensitized to a given situation vs. accepting it as normal and appropriate. Having seen only the BSG and Lost versions of TV torture, it seems to be more about, oh, the difficulties of leadership, the moral ambiguities of conflict, and the emotional hurdles an otherwise humane person would face if torture were part of their job description, than it is about everyone shouting "Yay! Torture!"
I also agree about the mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners in terms of the overall history of torture methods. Compared to, say, the Spanish Inquisition or Dr. Mengele's labs, the U.S. military personnel involved come off as stupid, cruel children. It's still wrong, it's still bad, and they should still be punished. But I can't help thinking that they're not being punished for doing it in the first place, but for getting caught. I'm cynical enough that I never doubt that any military would perform torture in order to achieve its ends.
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However, I was also pleased (if that's the way to put it) that they did go ahead and torture a human face if not technically a human. That did highlight rather well both Starbuck's personal discomfort and the problems they all face in drawing lines between themselves and a "machine" that bleeds red and cries out in pain.
(And an aside: I was impressed by Madam President for the first time when she booted Callum Keith Rennie out the airlock. Maybe someday I'll stop seeing the actress as just Stands With A Fist in a skirt suit...)
I don't think we're going to be further desensitized, either. That did seem to be the general fear in the discussion I'd read, but I don't think that is likely. Or, rather, there's a difference between being desensitized to a given situation vs. accepting it as normal and appropriate. Having seen only the BSG and Lost versions of TV torture, it seems to be more about, oh, the difficulties of leadership, the moral ambiguities of conflict, and the emotional hurdles an otherwise humane person would face if torture were part of their job description, than it is about everyone shouting "Yay! Torture!"
I also agree about the mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners in terms of the overall history of torture methods. Compared to, say, the Spanish Inquisition or Dr. Mengele's labs, the U.S. military personnel involved come off as stupid, cruel children. It's still wrong, it's still bad, and they should still be punished. But I can't help thinking that they're not being punished for doing it in the first place, but for getting caught. I'm cynical enough that I never doubt that any military would perform torture in order to achieve its ends.